December 31, 2021

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Mike Matson!

530 years ago
1491

Born on this date
Jacques Cartier. French explorer. Mr. Cartier, a native of Saint-Malo, Brittany, led expeditions for France in 1534, 1535-1536, and 1541-1542, becoming the first European to describe and map the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the shores of the Saint Lawrence River, which he named "The Country of Canadas" after the Iroquoian names for the two big settlements he saw at Stadacona (Quebec City) and at Hochelaga (Montreal Island). He entered and departed 50 undiscovered harbours without serious mishap or losing a ship, and was one of the first to formally acknowledge that the New World was a land mass separate from Europe/Asia. Mr. Cartier spent his later years in Saint-Malo and his nearby estate, and died during an epidemic, possibly typhus, on September 1, 1557 at the age of 65.

520 years ago
1501

War
The First Battle of Cannanore commenced at Cannanore, India between Portuguese Empire forces commmanded by João da Nova and the Zamorin people of Calicut. It marked one of the earliest recorded deliberate uses of a naval line of battle, and for resolving the battle by cannon alone. The battle ended in a Portuguese victory two days later.

330 years ago
1691

Died on this date
Robert Boyle, 64. Irish chemist and physicist. Mr. Boyle was one of the pioneers of the modern scientific method, and was best known for Boyle's law, which describes the inversely proportional relationship between the absolute pressure and volume of a gas, if the temperature is kept constant within a closed system. He's largely regarded today as the founder of modern chemistry; his book The Sceptical Chymist (1661) was a major text in the history of chemistry. Mr. Boyle was an alchemist, but his experiments were unsuccessful. He was a devout Anglican, and believed that evidence from nature could provide evidence for the existence of God. Mr. Boyle died from paralysis after more than 20 years of declining health.

225 years ago
1796

Americana
Baltimore was officially incorporated as a city.

140 years ago
1881

Crime
Charles Guiteau, recently convicted of the assassination of U.S. President James A. Garfield, wrote a New Year's greeting to his jailer.

110 years ago
1911

Born on this date
Dal Stivens. Australian writer. Mr. Stivens produced six novels and eight collections of short stories, often based on Australian folk tales, from 1936-1976, with his popularity peaking in the 1940s and '50s. He was also a naturalist and artist, and wrote non-fiction under several pseudonyms. Mr. Stivens died on June 15, 1997 at the age of 85.

100 years ago
1921

Died on this date
Boies Penrose, 61. U.S. politician. Mr. Penrose, a Republican, represented Philadelphia County in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives (1885) and represented the 6th District in the Pennsylvania Senate (1887-1897). He represented Pennsylvania in the U.S. Senate from 1897 until his death from a pulmonary thrombosis in his Washington penthouse in the last hour of 1921.

90 years ago
1931

Weather
Henderson Lake, British Columbia ended the year with a record total of 319.78 inches of rain, making it the wettest place on record in Canadian history.

Economics and finance
The Canadian stock index plunged 37.2% and Gross National Product declined 12.7%, making it the worst business year on record in the country.

80 years ago
1941

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): It's a Great Day for the Irish--Judy Garland; The Jesters (1st month at #1)

On television tonight
The first televised New Year’s Eve special aired on WNBT in New York. It consisted of entertainment from the Rainbow Room, atop the RCA Building in Rockefeller Center.

Died on this date
Sol Hess, 69. U.S. writer. Mr. Hess and Wallace Carlson created the comic strip The Nebbs in 1923, with Mr. Hess providing the writing and Mr. Carlson doing the illustrating. Mr. Hess died of a heart attack at his apartment in the Shoreham Hotel in Chicago. His daughter Betsy and her husband Stanley Baer took over the writing for The Nebbs after Mr. Hess's death, and by 1947 had folded the strip into another strip of theirs, The Toodle Family.

War
Admiral Chester Nimitz assumed command of the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet in a simple ceremony at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Japan demanded that U.S. forces in the Philippines surrender, and rejected the designation of Manila as an open city. U.S. Army General Douglas MacArthur reported that his forces were consistently falling back in the face of heavy Japanese assaults.

Diplomacy
Venezuela severed diplomatic relations with Germany, Italy, and Japan.

The German government announced that German Ambassador to Argentina Baron Edmund von Thermann had been recalled.

Politics and government
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed Jesse Jones as a member of the Supply Priorities and Allocation Board.

Communications
The U.S. Justice Department extended its ban on the possession of shortwave wireless sets and hand cameras by enemy aliens to cover the entire country, including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Business
The U.S. Justice Department filed civil suits in Chicago against the National Broadcasting Company and Columbia Broadcasting System, charging that through their ownership of key stations and the use of exclusive contracts the two chains almost completely dominated the country's broadcasting industry.

75 years ago
1946

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Sioux City Sue--Bing Crosby; Kate Smith (1st month at #1)

War
U.S. President Harry S. Truman officially proclaimed the end of hostilities in World War II, terminating his emergency powers and 20 wartime control laws. He admitted that the move was an attempt to cooperate with the new Republican-controlled Congress.

World events
Yugoslavia released Ray Stoeckel, an American jailed on espionage charges.

Politics and government
The Soviet newspaper Izvestia assailed the merger of the British and American occupation zones in Germany as a violation of the 1945 Potsdam agreement.

The Republican Party steering committee voted to oppose the seating of Senator Theodore G. Bilbo (Democrat--Mississippi) in the new Congress to take office on January 3, 1947, because of speeches he had made in opposition to Negro voting, and accusations of graft. Mr. Bilbo had first been elected to the Senate in 1934.

Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers in Japan General Douglas MacArthur stated in Tokyo that Japan had made "major advances" toward establishing a democratic social and political system.

Energy
U.S. President Truman signed an executive order turning the Army's atomic energy facilities over to the Atomic Energy Commission.

Health
Mexican cattle, sheep, goats, and hogs were banned from the United States because of an epidemic of hoof and mouth disease.

Labour
The U.S. National Labor Relations Board recognized the right of supervisory workers to organize when it ordered Jones and Laughlin Steel Corporation to bargain with a United Mine Workers of America affiliate that accepted foremen as members.

70 years ago
1951

On television tonight
Lights Out, on NBC
Tonight's episode: Of Time and Third Avenue, starring Henry Daniell, Edward Gargan, and Bethel Leslie

Died on this date
Maxim Litvinov, 75. U.S.S.R. politician and diplomat. Mr. Litvinov, born Meir Henoch Wallach, joined the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (SDLP) in Kiev in 1898 when the party was an illegal organization, and adopted the name Maxim Litvinov. He was arrested in 1901 and spent 18 months in captivity, but escaped, and spent several years in exile in Geneva and London. Mr. Litvinov met V.I. Lenin in 1903, and joined the Bolsheviks, returning to Russia during the 1905 Revolution. He fled the country again in 1906, and lived in England from 1908-1918, returning to Moscow late in 1918. Mr. Litvinov served as a diplomat during the 1920s, advocating disarmament and favouring Soviet support of the Kellogg-Briand Pact of 1928, which outlawed war as an instrument of national policy. He proposed the Litvinov Protocol, in which signatories formally proclaimed themselves in mutual compliance with the goals of the Kellogg-Briand Pact. It was signed in Moscow in February 1929 by the Soviet Union, Poland, Romania, Latvia, and Estonia, and later by several other countries. Mr. Litvinov was People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union (1930-1939), and was successful in obtaining American recognition of the Soviet Union. He was dismissed for holding anti-German views, while dictator Josef Stalin was negotiating a non-aggression pact with Germany. Mr. Litvinov served as Soviet Ambassador to the United States (1941-1943), and was Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs (1943-1946), but was dismissed after giving an interview to an American journalist in which he stated his belief that war between the U.S.A. and U.S.S.R. was inevitable. Mr. Litvinov reportedly died of a heart attack in Moscow after suffering serious heart problems, but there were rumours that he was assassinated on Mr. Stalin's instructions to the MVD (Interior Ministry), dying from injuries received after a truck deliberately collided with his car as he rounded a bend on the way to his dacha.

War
Communist negotiators at Panmunjom agreed to furnish information on 50,000 United Nations soldiers--mostly South Koreans--believed to have been taken prisoner but not accounted for on lists submitted by the Communist truce team.

Diplomacy
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden departed aboard the Queen Mary for New York. The purpose of the trip was to have talks with U.S. President Harry Truman in Washington, followed by a visit to Canada for talks with Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent.

Terrorism
Egyptian extremists announced that they would pay any "partisan patriot" $2,800 for killing British Suez Zone commander General George Erskine, and $280 for killing any other British officer.

World events
The Bolivian government ordered a New Year's Day amnesty for 35 members of the rightist National Revolutionary Movement exiled or jailed for participating in a revolutionary plot.

Energy
Inventor Philip Ohmart announded the development of a radioelectric cell capable of converting radioactive energy into electric energy.

Economics and finance
After distributing more than $13.3 billion in U.S. aid to European countries since 1948, the Marshall Plan expired; its functions would be taken over by the new U.S. Mutual Security Agency.

U.S. Mutual Security Administrator Paul Porter announced in Madrid that the United States would give Spain financial aid under a bilateral arrangement similar to Yugoslavia's.

Labour
United Steelworkers of America President Philip Murray ordered 30,000 Kaiser Aluminum and Aluminum Company of America workers to continue working under their old contracts through January 1947, ending the threat of a strike in the aluminum industry.

60 years ago
1961

Television
Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), Ireland's state broadcaster, launched its first national television service at 7 P.M., with an address by Irish President Eamon De Valera. Messages from John Cardinal d'Alton and Taoiseach Seán Lemass followed, and then a live concert, hosted by Radio Éireann chairman Eamonn Andrews, was broadcast from the Gresham Hotel in Dublin. The show, which was a countdown to the New Year, included appearances by tenor Patrick O'Hagan, the Artane Boys' Band, and Michael O'Hehir.

Music
The Beach Boys made their first live appearance, playing three songs--including their debut single, Surfin'-- as part of a Ritchie Valens memorial concert at Long Beach Civic Auditorium in Long Beach, California. Ike & Tina Turner were the headline act.

Football
NFL
Championship @ City Stadium, Green Bay
New York 0 @ Green Bay 37

Green Bay quarterback Bart Starr threw 2 touchdown passes to Ron Kramer and another to Boyd Dowler, and Paul Hornung rushed for a touchdown and kicked 4 converts and 3 field goals as the Packers routed the Giants before 39,029 fans in the first NFL championship game ever played in Green Bay. The score was 0-0 after the 1st quarter, but the Packers scored 24 points in the 2nd quarter and 10 more in the 3rd. It was Green Bay's first NFL championship since 1944, and their first under head coach Vince Lombardi. Hear the radio broadcast here, here, here, here, here, and here.



50 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey--Paul & Linda McCartney (7th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Mamy Blue--Pop Tops (9th week at #1)

South Africa's Top 10 (Springbok Radio)
1 Mammy Blue--Charisma (10th week at #1)
2 Get Me Some Help--Neville Whitmill
3 Amen--Peanutbutter Conspiracy
4 Butterfly--Danyel Gerard
5 Cousin Norman--Marmalade
6 You--Peter Maffay
7 The Desiderata--Les Crane
8 Never Ending Song of Love--The New Seekers
9 Soley Soley--Middle of the Road
10 Daddy Don't You Walk So Fast--Daniel Boone

The only single entering the chart was Tokoloshe Man by John Kongos (#17).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKLG)
1 I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)--The New Seekers
2 American Pie--Don McLean
3 Brand New Key--Melanie
4 Sunshine--Jonathan Edwards
5 Day After Day--Badfinger
6 Devil You--Stampeders
7 Have You Seen Her--Chi-Lites
8 All I Really Need is You--Sonny & Cher
9 Can I Get a Witness--Lee Michaels
10 Stay with Me--Faces

Singles entering the chart were Never Been to Spain by Three Dog Night (#26); Black Dog by Led Zeppelin (#27); White Lies, Blue Eyes by Bullet (#28); Mexican Lady by Steel River (#29); and Levon by Elton John (#30).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKVN)
1 American Pie--Don McLean
2 Day After Day--Badfinger
3 Sunshine--Jonathan Edwards
4 Life in the Bloodstream--The Guess Who
5 One Monkey Don't Stop No Show--The Honey Cone
6 Brand New Key--Melanie
7 I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)--The New Seekers
8 Respect Yourself--The Staple Singers
9 Love Me, Love Me, Love--Frank Mills
10 Hey Big Brother--Rare Earth

Singles entering the chart were Hallelujah by Sweathog (#27); I Turn to You by Spring (#33); Where Did Our Love Go by Donnie Elbert (#34); Anticipation by Carly Simon (#38); Mexican Lady by Steel River (#39); and Too True Mama by Crowfoot (#40).

Calgary's Top 10 (Glenn's Music)
1 Baby I'm-A Want You--Bread
2 Do I Love You--Paul Anka
3 Day After Day--Badfinger
4 I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)--New Seekers
5 Lonesome Mary--Chilliwack
6 Got to Be There--Michael Jackson
7 Take it Slow--Lighthouse
8 American Pie, Parts I and II--Don McLean
9 The Desiderata--Les Crane
10 I Don't Need No Doctor--Humble Pie
Pick hit of the week: Brand New Key--Melanie

Died on this date
Pete Duel, 31. U.S. actor. Mr. Duel, born Peter Deuel, appeared in several television programs and movies. He co-starred in the television comedy series Love on a Rooftop (1966-1967), but was best known for playing Hannibal Heyes (alias Joshua Smith) in the Western series Alias Smith and Jones (1971), which was in its second season when Mr. Duel, who was suffering from depression and drinking heavily, committed suicide by shooting himself.

Hal Weaver, 28. Canadian disc jockey. Mr. Weaver began his career at CKRD in Red Deer; he worked in Edmonton (CJCA), Hamilton (CKOC), Toronto (CHUM), and Vancouver (CJOR, CKVN) before dying of cancer.

40 years ago
1981

Hit parade
Vancouver's Top 10 (CKLG)
1 Physical--Olivia Newton-John (2nd week at #1)
2 Young Turks--Rod Stewart
3 Don't Stop Believin'--Journey
4 Leather and Lace--Stevie Nicks with Don Henley
5 Trouble--Lindsey Buckingham
6 Harden My Heart--Quarterflash
7 I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)--Daryl Hall & John Oates
8 Private Eyes--Daryl Hall & John Oates
9 Waiting for a Girl Like You--Foreigner
10 Why Do Fools Fall in Love--Diana Ross

Singles entering the chart were Tainted Love by Soft Cell (#18); and Hooked on Classics by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (#20).

Edmonton's Top 10 (CFRN)
1 Hooked on Classics--The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (3rd week at #1)
2 Leather and Lace--Stevie Nicks with Don Henley
3 Comin' In and Out of Your Life--Barbra Streisand
4 Yesterday's Songs--Neil Diamond
5 Harden My Heart--Quarterflash
6 Come Go with Me--The Beach Boys
7 I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)--Daryl Hall & John Oates
8 I Wouldn't Have Missed it for the World--Ronnie Milsap
9 Cool Night--Paul Davis
10 She's Got a Way--Billy Joel

World events
A coup d'état in Ghana removed President Hilla Limann's People's National Party (PNP) government and replaced it with the Provisional National Defence Council, led by Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings. Fl. Lt. Rawlings had previously seized power in June 1979, and handed it over to Mr. Limann and the PNP three months later.

30 years ago
1991

World events
As of this date, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ceased to exist, as all official Soviet Union institutions ceased operations.

Terrorism
17 Haitian Liberation Organization activists surrendered to police after occupying the Canadian Embassy in Port-au-Prince for six weeks.

25 years ago
1996

Died on this date
Wesley Addy, 83. U.S. actor. Mr. Addy was a character actor in numerous plays, television programs, and movies. His films included Seconds (1966); Tora! Tora! Tora! 1970) and The Verdict (1982).

Music
About 4,000 people made their way to the remote location of Canaan Downs, Tākaka, New Zealand to take part in the first Gathering, a two-day festival for electronic dance music fans.

20 years ago
2001

Died on this date
Eileen Heckart, 82. U.S. actress. Miss Heckart, born Anna Eileen Herbert, had a career spanning nearly 60 years, usually playing supporting roles in plays, movies, and television programs. She won numerous awards, including an Academy Award for her supporting performance in Butterflies are Free (1972); two Emmy Awards; and a Tony Award in 2000 for lifetime achievement. Miss Heckart died of lung cancer.

Politics and government
Eduardo Camano assumed the position of acting President of Argentina, the day after the resignation of interim President Adolfo Rodriguez Saa.

10 years ago
2011

Space
The United States succeeded in putting GRAIL A (Ebb), the first of two Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) satellites in orbit around the Moon. Grail B (FLow) followed 25 hours later. The spacecraft had been launched on September 10, 2011.



- 30 -

December 30, 2021

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Gladys Lucy Pomazongo Levano!

430 years ago
1591

Died on this date
Innocent IX. Roman Catholic Pope, 1591. Innocent IX, born Giovanni Antonio Facchinetti, became a priest in 1544 and was made a cardinal in 1583. He succeeded Gregory XIV on thee papal throne, and was crowned on November 3, 1591. He died after less than two months in office, and was succeeded by Clement VIII.

180 years ago
1841

Died on this date
Vitus Bering, 60. Danish explorer. Commander Bering was a cartographer served in the Russian Navy and led the First Kamchatka Expedition (1725-1731), which explored the Asian Pacific Coast, and the Great Northern Expedition (1733-1743), which explored the Arctic coast of Siberia and parts of the North American coastline. He died of scurvy on an uninhabited island, later named in his honour, near the Kamchatka Peninsula. The Bering Strait and Bering Sea are among the things named in Commander Bering's honour.

170 years ago
1851

Born on this date
Asa Candler. U.S. businessman and politician. Mr. Candler founded the Coca-Cola Company in 1892, and managed the company until 1917, when he took office as Mayor of Atlanta, serving until 1919. He died on March 12, 1929 at the age of 77, three years after suffering a stroke.

160 years ago
1861

Defense
As a result of the "Trent Affair" (the seizure of two Confederate diplomats from a British vessel on the high seas), 6,000 British troops from the 62nd Wiltshire Regiment landed at St. Andrews, New Brunswick with orders to march overland to Canada to defend against a possible American invasion.

125 years ago
1896

Born on this date
Tom Keene. U.S. actor. Mr. Keene, whose real name was George Duryea, also acted under the name Richard Powers. He appeared in more than 120 movies and television programs, mainly low-budget Westerns. Mr. Keene's movies included Our Daily Bread (1934) and Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959). He died of cancer on August 4, 1963 at the age of 66.

Died on this date
José Rizal, 35. Filipino writer and polymath. Dr. Rizal, an ophthalmologist by profession, was a Philippine nationalist who was a key member of the Filipino Propaganda Movement, which advocated political reforms for the colony under Spain. His writings were blamed by Spanish authorities for helping to incite the Philippine Revolution in 1896. While en route to Cuba via Spain to minister to victims of yellow fever. Dr. Rizal was arrested and charged with rebellion, sedition, and conspiracy. Despite disavowing the revolution in its present state, he was convicted by a court martial and was executed by a Spanish firing squad in Manila. Dr. Rizal is regarded as a national hero in the Philippines.

Hockey
Stanley Cup
Montreal Victorias 6 @ Winnipeg Victorias 5 (1-game challenge)

Ernie McLea scored 3 goals, including the winner on a breakaway with less than 2 minutes remaining, to give Montreal the Cup over defending champion Winnipeg at Granite Rink in the first challenge to be played outside Montreal. Mr. McLea became the first player to score a hat trick in a Stanley Cup game. Winnipeg took an early 3-0 lead and led 4-2 at halftime.

110 years ago
1911

Born on this date
Jeanette Nolan. U.S. actress. Miss Nolan appeared in numerous radio and television programs and in movies such as Macbeth (1948) and The Big Heat (1953). She was nominated for four Emmy Awards, and died on June 5, 1998 at the age of 86.

Politics and government
Sun Yat-sen was elected the first President of the Republic of China.

100 years ago
1921

Born on this date
Rashid Karami. Prime Minister of Lebanon, 1955-1956; 1958-1960; 1961-1964; 1965-1966; 1966-1968; 1969-1970; 1975-1976; 1984-1987. Mr. Karami, an independent politician, had a political career of more than 30 years, and was Lebanon's Prime Minister 10 times. He advocated increased political power for the country's Muslim population, and was known as a man that Lebanon's President could call on in a crisis, despite political differences. Mr. Karami was killed on June 1, 1987 at the age of 65 and the country’s interior minister and several other people were injured when a bomb exploded in his helicopter during a flight to Beirut from his home town of Tripoli. It was believed that the bomb had been placed in his briefcase or under his seat. The co-pilot made an emergency landing. Mr. Karami had submitted his resignation on May 4, but President Amin Gemayel had not yet formally accepted it.

90 years ago
1931

On the radio
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Richard Gordon and Leigh Lovell, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The Hindoo in the Wicker Basket

80 years ago
1941

Movies
The New York Film Critics Circle Awards for 1941 were presented. The winners were: Picture--Citizen Kane; Director--John Ford (How Green was My Valley); Actor--Gary Cooper (Sergeant York); Actress--Joan Fontaine (Suspicion).

Diplomacy
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill addressed the Canadian parliament in Ottawa, where he delivered his "Some chicken...some neck" speech, and then posed for a famous photograph by Yousuf Karsh. Go here to see the full text of the speech.



U.K. Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden returned to London from his conference in Moscow with U.S.S.R. dictator Josef Stalin.

War
The U.S.S.R. announced that Soviet troops on the Caucasian front had landed on the Crimean peninsula, occupying the town and fortress of Kerch. Dispatches from Manila reported that Japanese troops were within 100 miles of the city. U.S. aviator Charles Lindbergh was revealed to have volunteered for active serice in the U.S. Army Air Forces. The U.S. Census Bureau reported that there were 25,829,788 men in the continental United States aged 20-44 who could be drafted for military service.

Space
Dr. Edwin Hubble of the Mount Wilson Observatory in California said that as a result of six years of observation through the observatory's 100-inch telescope, he doubted the theory that the universe was expanding.

Politics and government
Philippine President Manuel Quezon and Vice President Sergio Osmena were inaugurated into their second terms in a wartime ceremony near U.S. Army General Douglas MacArthur's headquarters.

Lieutenant General A.E. Percival declared martial law in Singapore, following four Japanese air raids the previous night.

Crime
Seven people were indicted in New York on charges of sending vital information to Germany.

Economics and finance
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt announced that plans were underway to boost U.S. war production to 50% of the national income, or about $50 billion in the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1942.

U.S. federal Price Administrator Leon Henderson froze wholesale cigarette prices at the levels prevailing on December 26, and fixed maximum retail prices for automobile tires and tubes at the level in effect on November 25.

Labour
Greyhound companies agreed to arbitrate the strike of 1,800 bus drivers.

75 years ago
1946

Hit parade
U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 The Old Lamp-Lighter--Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye (Vocal refrain by Billy Williams and Choir)
--Kay Kyser and his Orchestra
--Hal Derwin
2 Ole Buttermilk Sky--Kay Kyser and his Orchestra (vocal chorus by Michael Douglas and the Campus Kids)
--Hoagy Carmichael
--Helen Carroll and the Satisfiers
--Paul Weston and his Orchestra with Matt Dennis
3 Rumors are Flying--Frankie Carle and his Orchestra
--The Andrews Sisters with Les Paul
--Betty Rhodes
--Tony Martin
4 (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons--King Cole Trio
--Eddy Howard and his Orchestra
--Charlie Spivak and his Orchestra
5 A Gal in Calico--Tex Beneke with the Glenn Miller Orchestra
--Bing Crosby with the Calico Kids
--Johnny Mercer
6 The Things We Did Last Summer--Frank Sinatra
--Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra
7 Huggin' and Chalkin'--Hoagy Carmichael
--Johnny Mercer
--Kay Kyser and his Orchestra
8 The Whole World is Singing My Song--Les Brown and his Orchestra
9 Passe--Tex Beneke with the Glenn Miller Orchestra
--Margaret Whiting
10 Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra

Singles entering the chart were the version of (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons by Charlie Spivak and his Orchestra That's the Beginning of the End, with versions by Perry Como; and the King Cole Trio (#32).

On the radio
The Casebook of Gregory Hood, starring Elliott Lewis and Howard McNear, on MBS
Tonight`s episode: The Payoff

Died on this date
Charles Wakefield Cadman, 65. U.S. composer and critic. Mr. Cadman was appointed music editor and critic for the Pittsburgh Dispatch in 1908, and was regarded as a leading expert on American Indian music, writing and lecturing on the subject, and allowing it to influence his compositions. He moved to Los Angeles in the 1920s, helping to found the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, performing there as a piano soloist, and composing scores for motion pictures in the early years of sound movies. Mr. Cadman wrote music in various genres, but was best known for his 40-year collaboration with lyricist Nelle Richmond Eberhart, who wrote librettos for his operas and words for his songs. He died six days after his 65th birthday.

Movies
The New York Film Critics Circle Awards for 1946 were presented. The winners were: Picture--The Best Years of Our Lives; Director--William Wyler (The Best Years of Our Lives); Actor--Laurence Olivier (Henry V); Actress--Celia Johnson (Brief Encounter); Foreign Language Film--Open City.

War
After conferring with French officials in Indochina, French Overseas Territories Minister Marius Moutet reiterated France's determination to re-establish "order" in the territory before resuming negotiations with nationalist guerrillas.

Politics and government
Republican Party U.S. congressional leadership filled majority posts in the new Senate: Arthur Vandenberg (Michigan)--President pro tempore; Wallace White, Jr. (Maine)--Majority floor leader; Robert Taft (Ohio)--steering committee chairman; Kenneth Wherry (Nebraska)--Majority whip; Eugene Milliken (Colorado)--Republican conference chairman.

Science
University of California physicist Glenn Seaborg, co-discoverer of plutonium, americium, and curium, was named "chemist of the year" in an American Chemical Society poll.

Energy
Despite Soviet objections, the United Nations Atomic Energy Commission appoved a U.S.-sponsored nuclear control plan recommending the creation of a strong international inspection agency not subject to a great power veto.

Argentina and Uruguay signed a pact allowing Argentina to receive electric power from the Uruguay River power project.

Economics and finance
Venezuela became the 40th nation to join the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

The Allied Control Council in Berlin announced the adoption of a law forbidding Germany to manufacture, possess, import, or export any equipment that may be used to wage war.

Labour
A U.S. federal circuit court of appeals in Chicago upheld the right of a union in a closed shop to force the discharge of a member for joining a rival union.

70 years ago
1951

On television tonight
Out There, on CBS
Tonight's episode: The Bus to Nowhere, starring Leonard Barry, Arthur Batanides, and Whit Bissell

War
Commander-in-Chief of the United Nations Command General Matthew Ridgway announced that the Japanese government would be given custody of 1,300 Japanese war criminals still serving sentences by March 21, 1952.

Diplomacy
Foreign ministers of six Western European countries agrred in Paris on most details of the European Army plan and recommended creating a supranational Parliament of Europe by 1955.

In a year-end speech, U.S. Secretary of State Dean Acheson admitted that "we have lost some ground" in the Middle East because of the Iranian and Suez disputes, but viewed Greece and Turkey as "bright spots."

Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science awarded the $1,000 Newcomb Cleveland Prize to Columbia University oceanographer J. Laurence Kulp for developing a technique to measure the age of water through the radioactive carbon content of suspended organic matter.

Economics and finance
Iran banned foreign travel by its citizens, due to lack of foreign exchange.

Baseball
The Sporting News named Stan Musial of the St. Louis Cardinals as major league player of the year for 1951 and Leo Durocher of the New York Giants as major league manager of the year. "Stan the Man" batted .355 with 32 home runs and 108 runs batted in, leading the National League in batting average, runs (124); triples (12); and total bases (355). "Leo the Lip" led the Giants to the National League pennant as they came back from a 14½-game deficit in August to defeat the Brooklyn Dodgers in a 3-game playoff.

60 years ago
1961

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): My Boomerang Won't Come Back--Charlie Drake (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Italy: Nata per me--Adriano Celentano (6th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Tanze mit mir in den Morgen--Gerhard Wendland

#1 single in the Netherlands (Dutch Top 40): I'm Gonna Knock on Your Door--Eddie Hodges (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Mirror): Tower of Strength--Frankie Vaughan (4th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 The Lion Sleeps Tonight--The Tokens (4th week at #1)
2 The Twist--Chubby Checker
3 Walk on By--Leroy Van Dyke
4 Run to Him--Bobby Vee
5 Please Mr. Postman--The Marvelettes
6 Can't Help Falling in Love--Elvis Presley
7 Peppermint Twist - Part I--Joey Dee & the Starliters
8 Moon River--Jerry Butler
--Henry Mancini, His Orchestra and Chorus
9 Happy Birthday, Sweet Sixteen--Neil Sedaka
10 When the Boy in Your Arms (Is the Boy in Your Heart)--Connie Francis

Singles entering the chart were Lost Someone by James Brown and the Famous Flames (#90); That's My Pa by Sheb Wooley (#95); I'm Blue (The Gong-Gong Song) by the Ikettes (#96); Fever by Pete Bennett and the Embers (#98); and I Told the Brook by Marty Robbins (#100).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CFUN)
1 Norman--Sue Thompson (2nd week at #1)
2 The Wanderer--Dion
3 Run to Him--Bobby Vee
4 Hey! Little Girl--Del Shannon
5 Walkin' with My Angel--Bobby Vee
6 The Twist--Chubby Checker
7 Multiplication--Bobby Darin
8 Walkin' Back to Happiness--Helen Shapiro
9 The Lion Sleeps Tonight--The Tokens
10 Please Mr. Postman--The Marvelettes

Singles entering the chart were Bonnie B by Jerry Lee Lewis (#24); Bandit of My Dreams by Eddie Hodges (#28); My Boomerang Won't Come Back by Charlie Drake (#31); Patti Ann by Johnny Crawford (#36); I Know (You Don't Love Me No More) by Barbara George (#39); Baby it's You by the Shirelles (#45); and Lonely Sixteen by Janie Black (#50).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKWX)
1 Norman--Sue Thompson
2 Dear Ivan--Jimmy Dean
3 The Twist--Chubby Checker
4 The Wanderer/The Majestic--Dion
5 Peppermint Twist--Joey Dee & the Starliters
6 A Little Bitty Tear--Burl Ives
7 Multiplication--Bobby Darin
8 Walkin' with My Angel/Run to Him--Bobby Vee
9 When the Boy in Your Arms (Is the Boy in Your Heart)--Connie Francis
10 The Lion Sleeps Tonight--The Tokens

Singles entering the chart were Dear Lady Twist by Gary (U.S.) Bonds (#26); The Ballad of Thunder Road by Robert Mitchum (#30); Young Love by Sonny James (#34); I Could Have Loved You by Ray Peterson (#36); Mugmates/Bandit of My Dreams by Eddie Hodges (#39); and Little Altar Boy by Vic Dana (#40).

Football
NCAA
Blue-Gray Game @ Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, Alabama
Gray 9 Blue 7

50 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in France (IFOP): Pop Concerto--Pop Concerto Orchestra

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): O Holy Night--Tommy Drennan (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Jo Cals, 57. Prime Minister of the Netherlands, 1965-1966. Mr. Cals, a member of the Roman Catholic State Party until 1945 and the Catholic People's Party thereafter, was a member of the House of Representatives (1948-1950, 1952, 1956, 1959, 1963-1965), and was State Secretary/Minister for Education, Arts and Sciences (1950-1961) before serving as Prime Minister from April 1965-November 1966. He left politics after his government fell after losing a vote involving the budget. Mr. Cals died of a brain tumour.

World events
Iraq announced that it had expelled 60,000 Iranian men, women, and children over the past few days; Iraq had severed diplomatic relations with Iran earlier inthe month.

30 years ago
1981

Hockey
NHL
Philadelphia (22-13-1) 5 @ Edmonton (25-8-6) 7

Wayne Gretzky scored 5 goals--his 46th through 50th of the season--to lead the Oilers past the Flyers at Northlands Coliseum. Mr. Gretzky's last goal, into an empty net, gave him the distinction of reaching the 50-goal mark in one season in the fewest games; it was just the Oilers' 39th game of the season.



30 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Sore ga Daiji (それが大事)--Daiji-man Brothers Band

#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Live and Let Die--Guns N' Roses (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Let's Talk About Sex--Salt-N-Pepa (7th week at #1)

25 years ago
1996

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Child--Mark Owen (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Norway (VG-lista): Don't Speak--No Doubt (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Time to Say Goodbye--Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Canada (RPM): Head Over Feet--Alanis Morissette (7th week at #1)

Died on this date
Lew Ayres, 88. U.S. actor. Mr. Ayres had a career that spanned 65 years, but was best known for his starring role in the movie All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) and for playing Dr. Kildare in a series of nine films from 1938-1942. He died two days after his 88th birthday.

Juan Antonio Canta, 30. Spanish musician. Mr. Canta, whose real name was Juan Antonio Castillo Madico, was a singer-songwriter and guitarist who co-founded the pop group Pabellَn psiquiلtrico, who recorded four albums from 1987-1991. He then became a solo artist, and was best known for the single La danza de los 40 limones, which reached number one on the PROMUSICAE chart for five weeks in May-June 1996. Mr. Canta suffered from constant depression, and committed suicide by hanging himself at his home in Cَrdoba.

Protest
250,000 workers in Israel shut down services in protest against proposed budget cuts by the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

20 years ago
2001

Terrorism
Pakistani authorities arrested Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, founder of one of the Muslim groups believed to be behind the December 13, 2001 attack on India's Parliament House in New Delhi. 12 people had been killed in the five-man attack.

Politics and government
Adolfo Rodriguez Saa resigned as interim President of Argentina, just a week after taking office.

10 years ago
2011

Died on this date
Ronald Searle, 91. U.K.-born artist. Mr. Searle worked in various genre, but was mainly known as a cartoonist. He created and the comic strip St. Trinian's School (1946-1952), which inspired a series of comic films. Mr. Searle also illustrated the Molesworth novels written by Geoffrey Willans in the 1950s. He moved to France in 1961, and lived the rest of his life there.

Oddities
Samoa and Tokelau skipped this date, as they changed their time zones and jumped to the other side of the International Date Line, moving directly from December 29 to December 31, 2011.

December 27, 2021

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Marilyn Draper!

500 years ago
1521

Religion
The Zwickau prophets--Nicholas Storch, Thomas Dreschel and Markus Stübner--arrived in Wittenberg after their exile from Zwickau, continuing their radical Reformation activities.

450 years ago
1571

Born on this date
Johannes Kepler. German astronomer and mathematician. Mr. Kepler was one of the most influential astronomers in history, best known for his laws of planetary motion. He believed that God created the world according to an intelligible plan that is accessible through the natural light of reason. Mr. Kepler's books included Astronomia nova (1609); Harmonices Mundi (1619); and Epitome Astronomiae Copernicanae (three volumes, 1618-1621). He served as imperial mathematician to Holy Roman Emperors Rudolf II, Matthias, and Ferdinand II, and while often criticizing astrology, devised horoscopes in order to make a living. Mr. Kepler died after a brief illness on November 15, 1630 at the age of 58.

300 years ago
1721

Born on this date
François Hemsterhuis. Dutch philosopher. Mr. Hemsterhuis wrote on aesthetics and moral philosophy. His philosophy has been characterized as Socratic in content and Platonic in form; its foundation was the desire for self-knowledge and truth, untrammelled by the rigid bonds of any particular system. Mr. Hemsterhuis died on July 7, 1790 at the age of 68.

260 years ago
1761

Born on this date
Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly, 56. Russian military officer and politician. Prince Michael was a Field Marshal in the Imperial Russian Army who was best known for his military reforms and leadership during the 1812 invasion of Russia by French forces commanded by Napoleon Bonaparte. Prince Michael was Governor-General of Finland from 1809-1810. He died while on a visit to Germany on May 26, 1818 at the age of 56.

250 years ago
1771

Died on this date
Henri Pitot, 76. French physicist and engineer. Mr. Pitot was a hydraulic engineer who invented the Pitot tube, and designed the Aqueduc de Saint-Clément near Montpellier and the extension of Pont du Gard in Nîmes.

190 years ago
1831

Exploration
English naturalist Charles Darwin began his voyage to the New World aboard the HMS Beagle.

140 years ago
1881

Born on this date
António Granjo. Prime Minister of Portugal, 1920, 1921. Mr. Granjo was a lawyer and a republican who was first elected to the National Constituent Assembly in 1911, resigning to serve in World War I. He was President of the Municipal Chamber of Chaves (February-July 1919) and was elected to the Chamber of Deputies later in 1919 as a member of the Evolutionist Party, which soon merged into the Republican Liberal Party. Mr. Granjo led coalition governments from July 19-November 20, 1920 and August 30 until his forced resignation and assassination at the age of 39 on October 19, 1921 as part of the military insurrection known as Bloody Night.

125 years ago
1896

Born on this date
Louis Bromfield. U.S. author and conservationist. Mr. Bromfield won the 1927 Pulitzer Prize for his novel Early Autumn; his other novels incuded The Rains Came (1937) and Mrs. Parkington (1943). He operated a farm in Ohio, and was one of the first modern champions of organic and self-sustaining farming. Mr. Bromfield died on March 18, 1956 at the age of 59.

120 years ago
1901

Born on this date
Irene Handl. U.K. actress. Miss Handl was a character actress who appeared in more than 100 movies, as well as numerous television programs, in a career spanning 50 years. Her films included Night Train to Munich (1940); Spellbound (1945); and Brief Encounter (1945). Miss Handl died of breast cancer on November 29, 1987, four weeks before her 86th birthday.

Marlene Dietrich. German-born U.S. actress and singer. Miss Dietrich became a star in her native land with her appearance in The Blue Angel (1930), and then moved to Hollywood, where her movies included Morocco (1930); Blonde Venus (1932); Desire (1936); Destry Rides Again (1939); A Foreign Affair (1948); Witness for the Prosecution (1957); Touch of Evil (1958); and Judgement at Nuremberg (1961). Miss Dietrich was an opponent of Germany's Nazi regime and aided the Allied effort in World War II. She narrated the documentary Black Fox: The True Story of Adolf Hitler, which won the Academy Award as best documentary feature of 1962. Miss Dietrich was known for performing the songs Falling in Love Again and Lili Marlene. She died of kidney failure on May 6, 1992 at the age of 90.

110 years ago
1911

Born on this date
Anna Russell. U.K.-born Canadian musician. Miss Russell, born Anna Russell-Brown, was a pianist and singer known for her parodies of operas, reaching the peak of her popularity in the 1960s. She died on October 18, 2006 at the age of 94.

Indianica
Jana Gana Mana, the national anthem of India, was first sung in the Calcutta Session of the Indian National Congress.

80 years ago
1941

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Chattanooga Choo Choo--Glenn Miller and his Orchestra (Vocal refrain by Tex Beneke and the Four Modernaires) (4th week at #1)

War
Japanese planes bombed the undefended open city of Manila for 40 minutes in the morning and 3 hours 22 minutes in the afternoon, starting huge fires. The U.S.S.R. announced the capture of Likhvin, Vysokinichi, Novosil, and Tim on the front southwest of Moscow.

Diplomacy
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and U.K. Prime Minister Winston Churchill, continuing their talks in Washington, assured representatives of Axis-occupied countries that the United States and United Kingdom would do everything possible to restore their independence after World War II. Mr. Roosevelt announced that "excellent progress" had been made during the conferences of 26 Allied governments in Washington to prosecute the war on a worldwide scale.

Society
U.S. Attorney General Francis Biddle issued an order requiring all Japanese, German, and Italian aliens in seven Pacific Coast states to surrender their shortwave radio sets and cameras to local police.

Economics and finance
The U.S. Office of Production Management issued an order, effective immediately, restricting the manufacture of new farm machinery in the 12-month period beginning November 1, 1941 to 83% of 1940 production.

Labour
Federal spokesmen announced that the American Federation of Labor Amalgamated Association of Street, Electric Railway and Motor Coach Employes had agreed to end the six-day strike by 1,500 Greyhound drivers and submit the dispute to arbitration.

Disasters
Lisbon was rocked by a severe earthquake at 6:25 P.M.

Football
NCAA
Blue-Gray Game @ Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, Alabama
Blue 16 Gray 0

75 years ago
1946

War
Fighting between French forces and Vietnamese nationalists spread to Cochin, China, where 24 civilians were killed.

Economics and finance
Albania and Yugoslavia ratified a pact providing for economic collaboration.

The U.S. State Department announced that it would release $19.3 million in Polish assets frozen in the United States and $27.5 million in gold to the current Polish government.

U.S. Reconstruction Finance Corporation Director George Allen resigned after urging that the agency be reduced to a lending institution for banks and small businesses.

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission authorized a 10% rate increase by Western Union Telegraph Company.

Cuba's cabinet raised the wages of all public employees $5-$10 monthly.

Tennis
With Jack Kramer and Ted Schroeder winning the men's doubles event in Melbourne, the United States won the Davis Cup for the first time since 1938.

70 years ago
1951

Movies
The New York Film Critics Circle Awards for 1951 were announced. The winners were: Picture--A Streetcar Named Desire; Director--Elia Kazan (A Streetcar Named Desire); Actor--Arthur Kennedy (Bright Victory); Actress--Vivian Leigh (A Streetcar named Desire); Foreign Language Film--Miracolo a Milano (Miracle in Milan).

War
U.S. and Communist truce teams in Panmunjom failed to conclude an armistice by midnight, thus nullifying the November 27 agreement on a Korean cease-fire line.

World events
The Romanian government announced the execution of five Romanians convicted by a military court of spying for the United States.

Politics and government
Former Minnesota Governor Harold Stassen announced in Philadelphia that he would seek the 1952 Republican Party nomination for President of the United States.

Crime
Communist Party U.S.A. official Gus Hall was sentenced in New York to an additional three years in prison for jumping bail to escape his five-year sentence for conspiracy.

Transportation
The first right-hand drive automobile for the delivery of mail in the United States was put into service in Cincinnati.

Economics and finance
Brazilian President Getulio Vargas signed a bill enabling the government to control prices and buy and sell essential goods.

Labour
The United Steel Workers of America's Wage Policy Committee cancelled a strike scheduled for January 1, 1952, leaving the strike decision up to a special convention to open January 3 in Atlantic City.

Olympics
Soviet press announced that the U.S.S.R. would enter the Summer Olympic Games in 1952 for the first time since the participation of pre-Soviet Russia in 1912.

60 years ago
1961

At the movies
The Outsider, directed by Delbert Mann, and starring Tony Curtis, James Franciscus, and Bruce Bennett, opened in theatres in Los Angeles.



50 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Imagine--John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Ame no Midōsuji--Ouyang Fei Fei (8th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Mammy Blue--Pop-Tops (10th week at #1)

Diplomacy
Delegates representing 18 Arab countries met in Cairo to discuss plans for coordinating military and economic strategy against Israel.

40 years ago
1981

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): How Great Thou Art--Howard Morrison (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Sharazan--Al Bano & Romina Power

Died on this date
Hoagy Carmichael, 82. U.S. musician and songwriter. Mr. Carmichael, one of the best-known American songwriters of the first half of the 20th century, wrote such standards as Stardust and Georgia on My Mind. He appeared in several movies, usually as a pianist. In the last year or two of his life, Mr. Carmichael appeared in a television commercial for recordings of his greatest hits; the ad began with a clip of Ole Buttermilk Sky, followed by Mr. Carmichael saying, "Ole Buttermilk Sky; they don't make 'em like that anymore--maybe they shouldn't."

Hockey
NHL
Los Angeles (13-20-3) 3 @ Edmonton (24-8-6) 10

Wayne Gretzky scored 4 goals and 1 assist to set the league record for the fastest 100 points in a season, helping the Oilers rout the Kings at Northlands Coliseum. Mr. Gretzky was playing his 38th game of the season, breaking Phil Esposito's mark of 51 games set in 1970-71. Mr. Gretzky's goals game him 45 for the season. Steve Bozek scored all 3 Los Angeles goals.

Football
NFL
AFC Wild Card Playoff
Buffalo 31 @ New York Jets 27

See video.

NFC Wild Card Playoff
New York Giants 27 @ Philadelphia 21



25 years ago
1996

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Breathe--The Prodigy (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): 2 Become 1--Spice Girls (2nd week at #1)

War
Taliban forces in Afghanistan recaptured the strategic Bagram Airfield, which solidified their buffer zone around Kabul.

20 years ago
2001

Abominations
The United States announced plans to hold Taliban and Al-Qaeda prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

U.S. President George W. Bush permanently normalized trade relations between the U.S.A. and China.

Politics and government
Movement for Multi-Party Democracy candidate Levy Mwanawasa was elected President of Zambia, receiving 29.15% of the vote. United Party for National Development candidate Anderson Mazoka was second with 27.20% of the vote, with nine other candidates also participating. The Movement for Multi-Party Democracy won a plurality of seats in the 159-seat National Assembly, but their total of 69 seats was a decrease of 62 from before the election. Five new parties won at least one seat; the United Party for National Development, in its first election, was second with 49 seats.

10 years ago
2011

Died on this date
Johnny Wilson, 82. Canadian-born U.S. hockey player and coach. Mr. Wilson, a native of Kincardine, Ontario, played left wing with the Detyroit Red Wings (1950-55, 1957-59); Chicago Black Hawks (1955-57); Toronto Maple Leafs (1959-61); and New York Rangers (1961-62), scoring 332 points on 161 goals and 171 assists in 688 regular season games and 14 goals and 13 assists in 66 playoff games. He set a record, since broken, of 580 consecutive regular season games played (1951-60), including 8 straight complete 70-game seasons. Mr. Wilson helped the Red Wings win four Stanley Cup championships (1950, 1952, 1954-1955). He coached at Princeton University (1965-67) and then in the minor leagues, leading the Springfield Kings to the Calder Cup championship in 1971. Mr. Wilson coached the Los Angeles Kings (1969-70); Detroit Red Wings (1971-73); Colorado Rockies (1976-77); and Pittsburgh Penguins (1977-80) in the NHL, compiling a record of 187-241-89. He coached in the World Hockey Association with the Michigan Stags/Baltimore Blades (1974-75) and Cleveland Crusaders (1975-76), compiling a record of 56-93-9. Mr. Wilson coached Canada's entry in the 1977 IIHF World Championships, leading the team to a fourth-place finish in Canada's first appearance in the tournament in eight years. He settled in the Detroit area, and died of pulmonary fibrosis.

December 26, 2021

540 years ago
1481

War
Hollander forces defeated troops of Utrecht in the Battle of Westbroek.

270 years ago
1751

Born on this date
George Gordon. U.K. military officer and politician. Lord Gordon, a member of a noble family in Scotland, represented Ludgershall in the House of Commons, and was known for his criticism of all political factions. He founded the Protestant Association in 1778 and led it in opposition to limited rights for Roman Catholics. On June 2, 1780, Lord Gordon led a crowd of 50,000 in London opposed to Catholic emancipation; their actions, initially peaceful, descended into anti-Catholic violence, and became known as the "Gordon riots." Lord Gordon was charged with high treason, but was acquitted in 1781 for lack of treasonable intent. He was excommunicated from the Church of England in 1786, and converted to Orthodox Judaism in 1787, the year he was convicted of defaming Marie Antoinette, French Ambassador to Great Britain Jean-Balthazar d'Adhémar, and the administration of justice in England. Lord Gordon died from typhoid fever in Newgate Prison on November 1, 1793 at the age of 41.

230 years ago
1791

Born on this date
Charles Babbage. U.K. mathematician and engineer. Mr. Babbage was a polymath who has been called the "father of the computer" for devising the Difference Engine, the first mechanical computer, in the 1820s, and the Analytical Engine in 1837. He died of cystitis and kidney failure on October 18, 1871 at the age of 79.

Politics and government
The Constitutional Act 1791, passed by the British Parliament on June 19, went into effect, dividing the Province of Québec along the Ottawa River into Upper Canada and Lower Canada, each with a Lieutenant-Governor and a Legislature. Lower Canada kept the French civil law (Code civil). The so-called Canada Act gave the colonies their first powers to pass duties for revenue, a form of responsible government, but the governors and council retain the right to control revenue from the sale of Crown Lands, letting them bypass the Assembly. Guy Carleton, Lord Dorchester, was sworn in as Governor of Lower Canada. Members of the Legislative Council were: Chief Justices William Smith and Gaspard-Joseph Chaussegros de Léry; Hugh Finlay; François-Marie Picoté de Belestre; Thomas Dunn; Paul-Roch de Saint-Ours; Edward Harrison; François Baby; John Collins; Joseph-Dominique-Emmanuel Le Moyne de Longueuil; Adam Mabane; Charles-Louis Tarieu de Lanaudière; George Pownall; René-Amable Boucher de Boucherville; and John Fraser. The Executive Council consisted of: William Smith; Paul-Roch de Saint-Ours; Hugh Finlay; François Baby; Thomas Dunn; Joseph de Longueuil; Adam Mabane; Pierre Panet; and Adam Lymburner.

210 years ago
1811

Died on this date
Abraham B. Venable, 53. U.S. politician. Mr. Venable, a Democratic-Republican, represented Virginia's 6th (1791-1793) and 7th (1793-1799) Districts in the U.S. House of Representatives, and represented Prince Edward County in the Virginia House of Delegates (1800-1803). He represented Virginia in the U.S. Senate (1803-1804), filling a vacancy, and resigned to serve as president of the Bank of Virginia. Mr. Venable was one of the victims of the Richmond Theatre fire.

George William Smith, 49. U.S. politician. Mr. Smith, a Democratic-Republican, represented Essex County and then Richmond (1802-1808) in the Virginia House of Delegates, and was Lieutenant Governor and served two brief terms as acting Governor before being elected in his own right. He had been in office for less than nine months when he died in the Richmond Theatre fire.

Disasters
A fire at the Richmond Theatre in Richmond, Virginia killed 72 of the 598 people in attendance. In addition to Messrs. Venable and Smith, the victims included many members of Richmond's high society. The fire was the worst urban disaster in American history to that date.

160 years ago
1861

Diplomacy
Confederate diplomatic envoys James Murray Mason and John Slidell were freed by the United States government, thus heading off a possible war between the United States and the United Kingdom.

150 years ago
1871

Opera
Thespis, the first collaboration between lyricist W.S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan, received its premiere performance at the Gaiety Theatre in London.

130 years ago
1891

Born on this date
Henry Miller. U.S. writer and artist. Mr. Miller wrote travel memoirs and literary criticism, and painted watercolours, but was primarily known for his novels Tropic of Cancer (1934) and Tropic of Capricorn (1939), which weren't published in the United States for many years on grounds of obscenity. He died from circulatory problems on June 7, 1980 at the age of 88.

120 years ago
1901

Radio
Two weeks after receiving the first transatlantic radio signal at Signal Hill in St. John's Newfoundland, Guglielmo Marconi arrived in North Sydney, Nova Scotia. The Anglo-American Telegraph Company, owner of the undersea cable and holder of a monopoly of telegraphy in the province, notified him that it would take legal action unless he immediately ceased his wireless experiments and removed his equipment from Newfoundland. Mr. Marconi conferred with Nova Scotia Premier George Murray, William Smith of the Canadian Post Office, Mayor Mckenzie of North Sydney, and the Honourable J.N. Armstrong, a prominent local politician and member of the Nova Scotia cabinet. They urged him to set up shop in Cape Breton, and sent him on to Ottawa two days later.

100 years ago
1921

Born on this date
Steve Allen. U.S. broadcaster, author, songwriter, comedian. Mr. Allen, a man of many talents, was the original host of the Tonight show on NBC from 1954-1957. He then moved into prime time on Sunday nights with a comedy and variety show on NBC that ran at the same time that Ed Sullivan's program was on CBS; The Steve Allen Show (1956-1960) drew respectable ratings. He conceived and hosted a program on PBS called Meeting of Minds (1977-1981), where actors portraying historical characters would discuss various issues. Mr. Allen wrote several thousand songs, the best-known of which is This Could Be the Start of Something. His books included The Funny Men (1956); Funny People (1981); More Funny People (1982); and Vulgarians at the Gate (2000). Mr. Allen died on October 30, 2000 at the age of 78, several hours after suffering a ruptured blood vessel caused by chest injuries received in a traffic accident.

John Severin. U.S. artist. Mr. Severin was an illustrator with Marvel Comics and E.C. Comics in a career spanning more than 60 years. He was particularly known for his work in war comics, and for his keen eye for historical detail. Mr. Severin was one of the first artists to work with Mad magazine (1952-1954), but left in a dispute with the magazine's founder, Harvey Kurtzman. Mr. Severin spent more than 40 years with Cracked, Mad's main rival, and was regarded by many as the only talented individual steadily working with Cracked. He died on February 12, 2012 at the age of 90.

90 years ago
1931

Died on this date
Melvil Dewey, 80. U.S. librarian. Mr. Dewey founded The Library Journal in 1876; he was one of the founders of the American Library Association, and was its secretary (1876-1891) and president (1891-1893). He was chief librarian of Columbia University Libraries (1883-1888); director of the New York State Library (1888-1906); and secretary and executive officer of the University of the State of New York (1888-1900). Mr. Dewey established the standard dimensions for catalogue cards, but was best known for creating the Dewey Decimal System of classification system, first published in 1876. He had a reputation for sexually harassing women, which finally forced his resignation as N.Y. State Library director and from active participation in the ALA. Mr. Dewey founded the Lake Placid Club as a resort in 1895, with a policy that barred Jews, Negroes, and other minorities from membership. He died from a stroke, 16 days after his 80th birthday.

80 years ago
1941

Diplomacy
Winston Churchill became the first British Prime Minister to address a joint session of the United States Congress.



Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King arrived in Washington to participate in the U.S.-U.K. military and naval conference.

War
The U.S.S.R. announced that Naro Fominsk, about 50 miles southeast of Moscow, had been recaptured together with other towns. U.S. Army General Douglas MacArthur declared Manila to be an open city, and ordered all troops and anti-aircraft guns to be withdrawn. The British War Office announced that Lieutenant General Sir Henry Pownall had arrived in Singapore to assume command of British forces in the Far East, replacing Chief Marshal Sir Robert Brooke-Popham. The British embassy in Chungking announced that a U.K.-U.S.-Chinese Military Council had been created there.

Americana
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a bill establishing the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day in the United States.

Science
Dr. Paul J. Kolachov reported that the Russian dandelion plant known as kok-sagyz could produce crude rubber and may be grown virtually in any soil.

Labour
Striking welders withdrew their picket lines at defense plants and shipyards in the San Francisco area.

75 years ago
1946

At the movies
The Man I Love, directed by Raoul Walsh, and starring Ida Lupino, Robert Alda, Andrea King, and Bruce Bennett, opened in theatres in New York City.





Died on this date
Max Warburg, 79. German banker. Mr. Warburg, scion of a Hamburg banking family, was director of M. M. Warburg & Co., was a member of the Hamburg parliament, and began advising Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1903. He served on the board of the German Reichsbank under governor Hjalmar Schach (1933-1935), but sold the bank after the Nazis passed the anti-Semitic Nuremberg Laws, and emigrated to the United States in 1938. Mr. Warburg died in New York City.

Movies
Motion Picture Herald's poll reported that the top box office attractions in the United States in 1946 were: Bing Crosby, Ingrid Bergman, Van Johnson, Gary Cooper, Bob Hope, Humphrey Bogart, and Greer Garson.

Diplomacy
U.S. State Department spokesman Lincoln White affirmed that Soviet authorities in Manchuria were within their rights in ordering an American ship out of Dairen harbour on December 20.

Defense
Mohammed Nimer el Huwari, commander of the Arab underground army Najada, announced the merger of his forces with the Arab youth organization Futuwah for joint operations under the Arab Higher Committee in Palestine.

Exploration
Norwegian anthropologist Thor Heyerdahl announced that he would sail 4,000 miles in a wooden raft from Peru to Tahiti in an attempt to prove that Polynesia had been settled by inhabitants of South America.

Economics and finance
Colombia became the 39th nation to join the World Bank.

The French cabinet raised telephone tolls, subway fares, and other public service charges by up to 150% in an anti-inflation move.

Business
Gangster Bugsy Siegel opened The Flamingo Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

Labour
Counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities Ernie Adamson issued an unauthorized report claiming that 17 Congress of Industrial Organizations unions were dominated by Communists; that Communists were plotting a general strike to provoke revolution; and that the Library of Congress was a "haven for foreign-minded Americans."

70 years ago
1951

Diplomacy
The U.S. State Department announced that it would pay Hungary $120,000 in fines to secure the release of four U.S. fliers who had been captured on November 19.

Oil
Czech spokesmen in Tehran announced that Czechoslovakia would buy 500,000 tons of refined oil from Iran and "large" additional quantities of crude oil for refining in Czech plants.

Economics and finance
Retail prices in the U.S.A. hit a record 234.5% of the 1935-1939 average, 15% above the pre-Korean War level.

60 years ago
1961

Hit parade
#1 single in Norway (VG-lista): When the Girl in Your Arms is the Girl in Your Heart--Cliff Richard and the Norrie Paramor Orchestra (6th week at #1)

On television tonight
Alfred Hitchcock Presents, on NBC
Tonight's episode: A Jury of Her Peers, starring Ann Harding, Philip Bourneuf, and Frances Reid

50 years ago
1971

War
U.S. Air Force and Navy planes began several days of heavy bombing raids on military installations in North Vietnam.

Crime
An Air Canada jet en route from Thunder Bay, Ontario to Toronto was hijacked to Cuba.

Boxing
Former world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali (34-1) knocked out Jürgen Blin (27-10-6) at 2:12 of the 7th round of their bout in an unusually small ring at Hallenstadion Arena in Zurich. On the undercard, Mac Foster (28-1) knocked out Italian heavyweight champion Bepi Ros (30-8) in the 8th round.



Football
NFL
AFC Divisional Playoff
Baltimore 20 @ Cleveland 3

Don Nottingham rushed 23 times for 92 yards and 2 touchdowns, and Jim O'Brien kicked 2 converts and 2 field goals as the defending Super Bowl champion Colts defeated the Browns at Municipal Stadium.



NFC Divisional Playoff
Washington 20 @ San Francisco 24

John Brodie completed touchdown passes of 78 yards to Gene Washington and 2 yards to Bob Windsor as the 49ers defeated the Redskins in the first NFL playoff game to be played at Candlestick Park.



40 years ago
1981

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (Hit Parade Italia): Cicale--Heather Parisi (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Why Do Fools Fall in Love--Diana Ross

#1 single in Ireland: One of Us--ABBA

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express):

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Don't You Want Me--The Human League (3rd week at #1)

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 Why Do Fools Fall in Love--Diana Ross (2nd week at #1)
2 Annie--Miggy
3 One of Us--ABBA
4 Wünderbar--Tenpole Tudor
5 Under Pressure--Queen & David Bowie
6 I Go to Sleep--Pretenders
7 They Don't Play Our Lovesong Anymore--Anita Meyer
8 Let's Start II Dance Again--Bohannon
9 Spirits in the Material World--The Police
10 It's Raining--Shakin' Stevens

Singles entering the chart were Je Loog Tegen Mij by Drukwerk (#24); I Won't Let You Down by Ph.D. (#29); Bensonhurst Blues by Oscar Benton (#31); Lobo's Gospel Show by Lobo (#34); Op Een Onbewoond Eiland by Kinderen Voor Kinderen (#35); Perhaps Love by Placido Domingo & John Denver (#36); and Cambodia by Kim Wilde (#38).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Physical--Olivia Newton-John (6th week at #1)
2 Waiting for a Girl Like You--Foreigner
3 Let's Groove--Earth, Wind & Fire
4 I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)--Daryl Hall & John Oates
5 Young Turks--Rod Stewart
6 Harden My Heart--Quarterflash
7 Why Do Fools Fall in Love--Diana Ross
8 Leather and Lace--Stevie Nicks with Don Henley
9 Don't Stop Believin'--Journey
10 Trouble--Lindsey Buckingham

Singles entering the chart were Abacab by Genesis (#71); Southern Pacific by Neil Young & Crazy Horse (#80); Through the Years by Kenny Rogers (#82); Crazy (Keep on Falling) by John Hall Band (#83); Tonight Tonight by Bill Champlin (#85); and Can't Hold Back (Your Loving) by Kano (#91).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Physical--Olivia Newton-John (6th week at #1)
2 Waiting for a Girl Like You--Foreigner
3 Let's Groove--Earth, Wind and Fire
4 I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)--Daryl Hall & John Oates
5 Young Turks--Rod Stewart
6 Oh No--Commodores
7 Why Do Fools Fall in Love--Diana Ross
8 Don't Stop Believin'--Journey
9 Harden My Heart--Quarterflash
10 Trouble--Lindsey Buckingham

Singles entering the chart were Through the Years by Kenny Rogers (#60); Abacab by Genesis (#76); Crazy (Keep on Falling) by John Hall Band (#83); Let the Feeling Flow by Peabo Bryson (#84); Pac-Man Fever by Buckner and Garcia (#87); You Can by Madleen Kane (#88); Seasons of Gold by Gidea Park featuring Adrian Baker (#89); and Tonight Tonight by Bill Champlin (#90).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Record World)
1 Physical--Olivia Newton-John (6th week at #1)
2 Waiting for a Girl Like You--Foreigner
3 Let's Groove--Earth, Wind & Fire
4 I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)--Daryl Hall & John Oates
5 Young Turks--Rod Stewart
6 Why Do Fools Fall in Love--Diana Ross
7 Harden My Heart--Quarterflash
8 Trouble--Lindsey Buckingham
9 Don't Stop Believin'--Journey
10 Hooked on Classics--The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Singles entering the chart were Through the Years by Kenny Rogers (#50); Pac-Man Fever by Buckner & Garcia (#79); Could it Be Love by Jennifer Warnes (#82); You're My Latest, My Greatest Inspiration by Teddy Pendergrass (#86); Those Good Old Dreams by the Carpenters (#89); and If You Think You're Lonely Now by Bobby Womack (#94).

Canada’s Top 10 (RPM)
1 Physical--Olivia Newton-John (2nd week at #1)
2 Young Turks--Rod Stewart
3 Oh No--Commodores
4 Under Pressure--Queen & David Bowie
5 Waiting for a Girl Like You--Foreigner
6 My Girl (Gone, Gone, Gone)--Chilliwack
7 Trouble--Lindsey Buckingham
8 The Friends of Mr. Cairo--Jon and Vangelis
9 Don't Stop Believin'--Journey
10 Harden My Heart--Quarterflash

Singles entering the chart were Flying High Again by Ozzy Osbourne (#42); The Sweetest Thing (I've Ever Known) by Juice Newton (#44); You Could Have Been with Me by Sheena Easton (#46); She's Got a Way by Billy Joel (#47); There's No One Quite Like Grandma by Leliah and Jeordie (#48); Take it Easy on Me by Little River Band (#49); and Letting Go by Straight Lines (#50).

Died on this date
Suat Hayri Ürgüplü, 78. Prime Minister of Turkey, 1965. Mr. Ürgüplü was a judge of the Istanbul Commercial Court (1939-1942). A member of the Democratic Party, he represented Kayseri in the Chamber of Deputies (1939-1946, 1950-1952), serving as Minister of Customs and Public Monopolies (1947-1948). Mr. Ürgüplü was Turkey's Ambassador to West Germany (1952-1955); U.K. (1955-1959); U.S.A. (1959-1960); and Spain (1960-1961). As a member of the Justice Party, he was elected to the Senate in 1961, serving as Prime Minister of a non-partisan caretaker cabinet from February-October 1965 after the collapse of the government of Prime Minister İsmet İnönü. Mr. Ürgüplü remained in the Senate until his death from heart disease.

30 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Bohemian Rhapsody/These Are the Days of Our Lives--Queen (2nd week at #1)

World events
The Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union met and formally dissolved the Soviet Union, ending the Cold War.

Business
The U.S. airline Northwest Airlines bought 20 Dash 8 Series 100 aircraft for $190 million from Toronto-based de Haviland, a division of Boeing Canada.

25 years ago
1996

Hit parade
#1 single in Denmark (Nielsen Music Control & IFPI): Breathe--The Prodigy (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Anna mulle piiskaa--Apulanta (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
JonBenét Ramsey, 6. U.S. crime victim. Miss Ramsey, a child beauty contestant, died from strangulation and a fractured skull at her family's home in Boulder, Colorado. The crime resulted in a U.S. media obsession, and the case is still officially open.

Labour
The Federation of Korean Trade Unions called on its 1.2 million members to refuse to work, beginning the largest organized strike in South Korean history.

20 years ago
2001

Died on this date
Nigel Hawthorne, 72. U.K. actor. Sir Nigel had a distinguished career on stage, screen, and television spanning 50 years, winning numerous awards. He won a Tony Award for his starring performance in Shadowlands (1990), and won six Laurence Olivier Awards, four for his starring performances in the television comedy series Yes Minister (1980-1984) and Yes, Prime Minister (1986-1988). Sir Nigel won a Laurence Olivier Award for his starring performance in the play The Madness of George III (1991), and a BAFTA and two other British awards for starring in its film adaptation, The Madness of King George (1994), receiving an Academy Award nomination for the film. Sir Nigel died of a heart attack after suffering from pancreatic cancer.

10 years ago
2011

Died on this date
Sarekoppa Bangarappa, 78. Indian politician. Mr. Bangarappa was a member of several parties in a political career spanning more than 40 years. He represented Soraba in the Karnataka Assembly (1967-1996), and was Chief Minister of Karnataka (1990-1992). Mr. Bangarappa represented Shimoga in the Lok Sabha (1999-2005, 2005-2009). He died from multiple causes after suffering from diabetes; his funeral required police intervention because of disputes between factions involving his sons Kumar and Madhu.

Houston Antwine, 72. U.S. football player. Mr. Antwine played defensive tackle at Southern Illinois University and with the Boston/New England Patriots (1961-1971) and Philadelphia Eagles (1972). He made the American Football League's First All-Star Team in 1963, and the Second Team five times (1964, 1966-1969), earning recognition on the all-time All-AFL Team.

Pedro Armendáriz, Jr., 71. Mexican-born actor. Mr. Armendáriz, the son of actor Pedro Armendáriz, Sr., appeared in movies and television programs in Mexico and the United States in a career spanning 45 years. His movies included Tombstone (1993) and Amistad (1997). Mr. Armendáriz died in New York while being treated for eye cancer, and was buried in Mexico City.

Joe Bodolai, 63. U.S.-born screenwriter and producer. Mr. Bodolai fled to Canada in the late 1960s to avoid the military draft, and spent much of his life in Canada as a comedy writer and producer; he was a frequent guest of Peter Gzowski's on his CBC radio program This Country in the Morning (1970-1974). He returned to the United States in 1981 and wrote more than 20 episodes of Saturday Night Live before returning to Canada and producing television programs such as Comics! and The Kids in the Hall. Mr. Bodolai co-founded the Canadian cable channel The Comedy Network in the mid-1990s, but returned to the U.S. after the Comedy Network's owners declined to hire him to run the network. He was unable to conquer a drinking habit, and committed suicide by drinking a mixture of Gatorade and antifreeze. Mr. Bodolai's blog Say It Ain't So, Joe! remains online; its last entry, dated December 23, 2011, reads like a suicide note.

December 25, 2021

975 years ago
1046

Europeana
Henry III was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Clement II.

560 years ago
1461

Born on this date
Christina of Saxony. Queen consort of Denmark (1481-1513); Norway (1483-1513); and Sweden (1497-1501). Christina married the future King Hans in 1478, and became Queen consort when he acceded to the Danish throne upon the death of his father. Hans was subsequently elected King of Norway and conquered Sweden. Queen Christina accompanied her husband to Sweden, but he began an adulterous affair in 1501, and was removed as king, while Queen Christina was taken into custody, and wasn't permitted to return to Denmark until 1503, where she lived separately from King Hans until her death on December 8, 1521, 17 days before her 60th birthday.

310 years ago
1711

Born on this date
Jean-Joseph de Mondonville. French musician and composer. Mr. Mondonville was a classical violinist who was associated with the Chapelle royale and chamber, performing 100 concerts. He wrote grands motets, light operas, oratorios, and works for violin. Mr. Mondonville died on October 8, 1772 at the age of 60.

200 years ago
1821

Born on this date
Clara Barton. U.S. nurse. Miss Barton was a schoolteacher and self-taught nurse who aided Union Army soldiers in the American Civil War and ran the Office of Missing Soldiers after the war, identifying soldiers killed or missing in action. She founded the American Red Cross in 1881 and was its president until her retirement in 1904. Miss Barton died on April 12, 1912 at the age of 90.

190 years ago
1831

Protest
Baptist preacher Samuel Sharpe began the 11-day Great Jamaican Slave Revolt; up to 20% of Jamaica's slaves mobilized in an ultimately unsuccessful fight for freedom.

160 years ago
1861

Born on this date
Madan Mohan Malaviya. Indian educator, journalist, and politician. Mahamana Malaviya, a lawyer by profession, co-founded Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in 1916, and was its vice chancellor from 1919-1938. He founded the English-language newspaper The Leader in 1909, and was chairman of the Hindustan Times (1924-1936). Mahamana Malaviya was a member of the Imperial Legislative Council/Central Legislative Assembly (1912-1926) while being a moderate advocate of Indian independence, and served three terms as president of the Indian National Congress. He was one of the founders of the Bharat Scouts and Guides, and died on November 12, 1946 at the age of 84.

130 years ago
1891

Born on this date
Kenneth Anderson. Indian-born U.K. military officer and politician. General Sir Kenneth served in both world wars, and was best known for commanding the British First Army during Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of North Africa and the subsequent Tunisian Campaign. He served as Governor of Gibraltar from 1947-1952. General Sir Kenneth died of pneumonia on April 29, 1959 at the age of 67.

120 years ago
1901

Born on this date
Alice, Duchess of Gloucester. U.K. royal family member. Princess Alice was the daughter of the Duke of Buccleuch, Scotland's largest landowner, and married Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, the third son of King George V, in 1935. She served with the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF)/Women's Royal Air Force (WRAF), and held official positions with a dozen British Army regiments. The Duchess of Gloucester carried out public functions until she was 98, and died on October 29, 2004 at the age of 102.

100 years ago
1921

Born on this date
Steve Otto. Polish-born Canadian politician. Mr. Otto, a Liberal, represented the Ontario riding of York East in the Canadian House of Commons (1962-1972). He was 22 days past his 67th birthday when he disappeared and was presumed dead when his sailboat hit a rock and capsized off the coast of Cuba on January 16, 1989.

Died on this date
Hans Huber, 69. Swiss composer. Mr. Huber wrote eight symphonies, five operas, four piano concertos, and other orchestral, chamber, and choral works.

Vladimir Korolenko, 68. Russian journalist and author. Mr. Korolenko wrote fiction and non-fiction expressing criticism of Russia's czarist regime; his best-known work was the short novel The Blind Musician (1886). Mr. Korolenko suffered from progressive heart disease in later years, and died of pneumonia.

90 years ago
1931

Radio
The shortwave station HCJB, "The Voice of the Andes," began broadcasting from Quito, Ecuador.

80 years ago
1941

Died on this date
Richard S. Aldrich, 57. U.S. politician. Mr. Aldrich, a son of U.S. Senator Nelson Aldrich and a cousin of the Rockefellers, was a Republican, and a member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives (1914-1916) and Senate (1916-1918). He represented Rhode Island's 2nd District in the U.S. House of Representatives (1923-1933).

War
British forces surrendered Hong Kong to invading Japanese forces; 290 members of the Royal Rifles of Canada (a Quebec unit) and the Winnipeg Grenadiers were dead, and 493 wounded. Major John Crawford and 1,975 Canadian soldiers were captured and incarcerated at the Sham Shui Po prison camp at Kowloon for 44 months. Japanese soldiers continued their destruction of St. Stephen's College hospital in Hong Kong, killing over 100 British, Canadian and Indian wounded soldiers, as well as a number of doctors and nurses. Manila and Tokyo dispatches reported that Japanese troops had advanced at three points on the Phillipine island of Luzon despite strong resistance. Admiral Chester W. Nimitz arrived at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii to assume command of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.

World events
Reuters reported from Bhagalpur, India that 320 Hindu leaders, including Dr. Syamprosad Mookerjee, finance minister of the Bengal government, had been arrested for trying to attend a conference that had been banned.

Communications
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Australian Prime Minister John Curtin formally opened a 7,420-mile direct radio-telegraph communications system between the two countries.

Politics and government
The male population of Saint Pierre voted by more than 98% for association with Free French forces, as opposed to collaboration with the Axis.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Jesse Jones announced the creation of a Small Business Unit in the Commece Department under William Shepardson.

Economics and finance
The U.S. Congressional-Executive Joint Committee on Non-Essential Expenditures, headed by Senator Harry F. Byrd (Democrat--Virginia), recommended total savings of $1.7 billion in non-defense expenditures.

Labour
Representatives of Air Associates, Inc. and the Congress of Industrial Organizations United Auto Workers of America reached an agreement in Bendix, New Jersey on a one-years contract, providing wage increases and a modified union shop.

75 years ago
1946

Died on this date
W.C. Fields, 66. U.S. actor. Mr. Fields, born William Claude Dukenfield, was famous (and beloved by this blogger) for his misanthropic persona, side-of-the-mouth vocal delivery, large nose, juggling skill, and fondness for alcohol. His movies included It's a Gift (1934); You Can't Cheat an Honest Man (1939); and Never Give a Sucker an Even Break (1941). He died as a result of years of heavy drinking.

Emir Mohammed Zeinati. Palestinian crime victim. Mr. Zeinati, an Arab landowner, was slain in Haifa by unknown assassins, apparently for selling land to Jews.

Asiatica
Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands proclaimed the Provisional State of East Indonesia, including all of the former Dutch East Indies east of Java and Borneo except New Guinea.

Diplomacy
The U.K. and France signed an agreement eliminating visa requirements and other restrictions on citizens of one country travelling in the other.

Politics and government
Boycotted by Communists, China's Constitutional Assembly passed a new constitution, based on British and American models, which would go into effect on January 1, 1947. Communist spokesmen called the charter "illegal' and said that it would not be recognized in Communist-held areas.

French High Commissioner for Indonesia Admiral Thierry d'Argenlieu issued a Christmas message stating, "France does not intend in the present stage of evolution of the Indochinese people to give them total and unconditional independence."

Chile's Socialist Party rejected a proposed alliance with the Communists.

Energy
The first European self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction was initiated within the U.S.S.R.'s F-1 nuclear reactor.

Nuclear scientist C. Rogers McCullough revealed that researchers were constructing the world's first atomic power pile for peacetime use at Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

Gas for industrial use was cut off in six New Jersey counties, following a strike at the Jersey City and Piscataway Township plants of the Public Service and Electric Company.

70 years ago
1951

On television tonight
Suspense, on CBS
Tonight's episode: The Lonely Place, starring Judith Evelyn, Boris Karloff, and Robin Morgan

Died on this date
Harry T. Moore, 46. U.S. civil rights leader. Mr. Moore was a schoolteacher who founded, in 1934, the first branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in Brevard County, Florida, and was president of the state chapter of the NAACP. His activities included registration of Negro voters in Florida and and working for equal pay for Negro teachers in public schools. Mr. Moore and his wife Harriette, 49, were at their home in Mims, Florida on Christmas night when a bomb planted under the bedroom floor exploded. The local hospital in Titusville refused to treat Negroes, and Mr. Moore died while being transported by ambulance to the closest one where he could receive treatment. Mrs. Moore was seriously injured, and died nine days later, on January 3, 1952. The murders were investigated in 1951-1952, but no one was prosecuted then or in later decades when subsequent investigations took place. A state investigation in 2005-2006 named four Ku Klux Klan members, by then long dead, as the likely murderers.

Diplomacy
Cuba and the Dominican Republic signed in Washington a declaration of peaceful intentions, as D.R. President Rafael Trujillo pardoned five Cuban sailors of plotting to overthrow the Dominican government.

Crime
The Stone of Destiny, a British royal family heirloom, was stolen from Westminster Abbey in London.

Oil
Iran nationalized the Khanaquin and Rafidian oil companies, subsidiaries of the British-owned Anglo-Iranian Oil Company.

60 years ago
1961

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Moliendo Café--Lucho Gatica (6th week at #1)

#1 single in France (IFOP): L'Auto-circulation--Henri Tisot (8th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 The Lion Sleeps Tonight--The Tokens (2nd week at #1)
2 Run to Him--Bobby Vee
3 The Twist--Chubby Checker
4 Goodbye Cruel World--James Darren
5 Walk on By--Leroy Van Dyke
6 Peppermint Twist - Part I--Joey Dee & the Starliters
7 Please Mr. Postman--The Marvelettes
8 Happy Birthday, Sweet Sixteen--Neil Sedaka
9 Let There Be Drums--Sandy Nelson
10 Can't Help Falling in Love--Elvis Presley

Singles entering the chart were She's Everything (I Wanted You to Be) by Ral Donner (#76); Please Come Home for Christmas by Charles Brown (#85); Go on Home by Patti Page (#91); Tuff by Ace Cannon (#92); I Told the Brook by Marty Robbins (#94); Smoky Places by the Corsairs featuring the voice of Jay "Bird" Uzzell (#95); Tears from an Angel by Troy Shondell (#96); Free Me by Johnny Preston (#97); I Need Some One by the Belmonts (#98); Santa & the Touchables by Dickie Goodman (#99); and Ev'rybody's Cryin' by Jimmie Beaumont (#100). Santa & the Touchables was a "break-in" record, a comedy record featuring excerpts from recent hits, and was Mr. Goodman's third such single in 1961, after The Touchables and The Touchables in Brooklyn.

On the radio
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Carleton Hobbs and Norman Shelley, on BBC
Tonight's episode: The Blue Carbuncle

On television tonight
Thriller, hosted by Boris Karloff, on NBC
Tonight's episode: Portrait Without a Face, starring Jane Greer, Robert Webber, and George Mitchell



Died on this date
Otto Loewi, 88. German-born pharmacologist. Dr. Loewi shared the 1936 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Sir Henry Dale "for their discoveries relating to chemical transmission of nerve impulses." He emigrated to Austria in 1903 and became an Austro-Hungarian citizen two years later, but spent three months in custody after the German Anschluss of Austria in 1938. Dr. Loewi was released on condition that he relinquish all his possessions, including his research, to the Nazis. He went to Britain, Belgium, and eventually the United States in 1940, becoming an American citizen in 1946.

Owen Brewster, 73. U.S. politician. Mr. Brewster was Governor of Maine (1925-1929); member of the United States House of Representatives from Maine (1935-1941); and United States Senator from Maine (1941-1952). As chairman of a special Senate committee investigating defense procurement during World War II, Mr. Brewster attacked the commercial interests of Howard Hughes, but his reputation suffered when Mr. Hughes responded with accusations of his own.

50 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Pensiero--Pooh (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Ernie (The Fastest Milkman in the West)--Benny Hill (3rd week at #1)

Australia's Top 10 (Go-Set)
1 Maggie May/Reason to Believe--Rod Stewart (3rd week at #1)
2 Banks of the Ohio--Olivia Newton-John
3 Peace Train--Cat Stevens
4 Mammy Blue--Joel Dayde
5 Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves--Cher
6 Imagine--John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
7 Love is a Beautiful Song--Dave Mills
8 Speak to the Sky--Ricky Springfield
9 Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey--Paul & Linda McCartney
10 Freedom Come, Freedom Go--The Fortunes

Singles entering the chart were Hi Honey Ho by Daddy Cool (#26); Captain Zero by the Mixtures (#31); Walking the Floor on My Hands by Johnny Farnham (#33); and Superstar by the Carpenters (#37).

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 How Do You Do--Mouth & MacNeal (2nd week at #1)
2 Non, Non, Rien N'a Changé--Poppys
3 Pappie Loop Toch Niet Zo Snel--Herman Van Keeken
4 I Will Return--Springwater
5 Coz I Luv You--Slade
6 Out of Sight, Out of Mind--Shocking Blue
7 Schön ist es auf der Welt zu sein--Roy Black + Anita
8 Without a Worry in the World--Rod McKuen
9 Soley Soley--The Middle of the Road
10 Des Chansons Pop--Poppys

Singles entering the chart were Hoog Daar Aan de Hemel by Corry en de Rekels (#15); Tightrope Ride by the Doors (#31); Family Affair by Sly & the Family Stone (#33); and Lovin' and Hurtin' by Jojo (#34).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Brand New Key--Melanie
2 Family Affair--Sly & the Family Stone
3 American Pie - Parts I and II--Don McLean
4 An Old Fashioned Love Song--Three Dog Night
5 Got to Be There--Michael Jackson
6 Have You Seen Her--Chi-Lites
7 All I Ever Need is You--Sonny & Cher
8 Scorpio--Dennis Coffey and the Detroit Guitar Band
9 Cherish--David Cassidy
10 Hey Girl/I Knew You When--Donny Osmond

Singles entering the chart were Black Dog by Led Zeppelin (#67); Fire and Water by Wilson Pickett (#79); Never Been to Spain by Three Dog Night (#81); What am I Living For by Ray Charles (#87); Under My Wheels by Alice Cooper (#88); Son of Shaft by the Bar-Kays (#92); Love Gonna Pack Up (And Walk Out) by the Persuaders (#96); Do the Funky Penguin Part II by Rufus Thomas (#97); and Pain (Part 1) by the Ohio Players (#99).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Brand New Key-Melanie
2 Got to Be There--Michael Jackson
3 Family Affair--Sly & the Family Stone
4 An Old Fashioned Love Song--Three Dog Night
5 Cherish--David Cassidy
6 American Pie - Parts I and II--Don McLean
7 All I Ever Need is You--Sonny & Cher
8 Scorpio--Dennis Coffey and the Detroit Guitar Band
9 Have You Seen Her--Chi-Lites
10 Respect Yourself--Staples Singers

Singles entering the chart were Never Been to Spain by Three Dog Night (#60); Together Let's Find Love by the 5th Dimension (#75); Fire and Water by Wilson Pickett (#76); Slippin' Into Darkness by War (#83); Ain't Understanding Mellow by Jerry Butler and Brenda Lee Eager (#85); What am I Living For by Ray Charles (#86); Son of Shaft by the Bar-Kays (#87); Those were the Days by Carroll O'Connor and Jean Stapleton (as the Bunkers) (#89); Ajax Airlines by Hudson and Landry (#90); The Lion Sleeps Tonight by Robert John (#93); Come on Over to My House by Layng Martine (#96); Love Potion Number Nine by the Coasters (#97); and Jungle Fever by Chakachas (#99).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Record World)
1 Brand New Key-Melanie
2 Family Affair--Sly and the Family Stone
3 American Pie--Don McLean
4 An Old Fashioned Love Song--Three Dog Night
5 Have You Seen Her--Chi-Lites
6 Got to Be There--Michael Jackson
7 Cherish--David Cassidy
8 All I Ever Need is You--Sonny & Cher
9 Respect Yourself--The Staple Singers
10 Stones--Neil Diamond

Singles entering the chart were Never Been to Spain by Three Dog Night (#66); Tupelo Honey by Van Morrison (#77); That's the Way I Feel About Cha by Bobby Womack and Peace (#79); Stay with Me by Faces (#82); Keep on Keeping On by N.F. Porter (#83); Footstompin' Music by Grand Funk Railroad (#85); Joy by Apollo 100 (#87); What am I Living For by Ray Charles (#89); Open the Door by Judy Collins (#92); If I Could See the Light by the 8th Day (#95); Keep Playin' that Rock 'n' Roll by Edgar Winter's White Trash (#96); Long Time to Be Alone by the New Colony Six (#98); Precious and Few by Climax (#99); and What's Going On by Quincy Jones (#100).

Canada’s Top 10 (RPM)
1 Family Affair--Sly & the Family Stone (2nd week at #1)
2 An Old Fashioned Love Song--Three Dog Night
3 Got to Be There--Michael Jackson
4 The Desiderata--Les Crane
5 Theme from Shaft--Isaac Hayes
6 Brand New Key--Melanie
7 Cherish--David Cassidy
8 Devil You--Stampeders
9 Lonesome Mary--Chilliwack
10 All I Ever Need is You--Sonny & Cher

Singles entering the chart were Happy Xmas (War is Over) by by John Lennon/Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band with the Harlem Community Choir (#75); Don't Say You Don't Remember by Beverly Bremers (#92); Me and Bobby McGee by Jerry Lee Lewis (#93); Keep on Movin' by Aaron Space (#95); Footstompin' Music by Grand Funk Railroad (#96); Never Been to Spain by Three Dog Night (#97); Drowning in the Sea of Love by Joe Simon (#98); Mexican Lady by Steel River (#99); and Let's Stay Together by Al Green (#100).

Football
NFL
NFC Divisional Playoff
Dallas 20 @ Minnesota 12

The Cowboys led 6-3 at halftime on 2 field goals by Mike Clark to 1 by Fred Cox of the Vikings, and took a 20-3 lead after 3 quarters on a 13-yard touchdown rush by Duane Thomas and a 9-yard touchdown pass from Roger Staubach to Bob Hayes, both converted by Mr. Clark. Alan Page tackled Mr. Staubach in his own end zone for a Minnesota safety touch in the 4th quarter, and the Vikings closed the scoring on a 6-yard pass from quarterback Gary Cuozzo to Stu Voigt, converted by Mr. Cox. 47,307 were in attendance at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington.



AFC Divisional Playoff
Miami 27 @ Kansas City 24 (2 OT)

Garo Yepremian's 37-yard field goal at 7:40 of the 2nd overtime period ended the longest game in professional football history to date (see video).

40 years ago
1981

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Ooa hela natten--Attack (6th week at #1)

#1 single in France (IFOP): Je chante avec toi, liberté--Nana Mouskouri

South Africa's Top 10 (Springbok Radio)
1 Going Back to My Roots--Odyssey
2 It's You, It's You, It's You--Joe Dolan
3 Endless Love--Diana Ross & Lionel Richie
4 It's My Party--Dave Stewart with Barbara Gaskin
5 Urgent--Foreigner
6 Prince Charming--Adam & the Ants
7 Dancing on the Floor (Hooked on Love)--Third World
8 Under Pressure--Queen & David Bowie
9 Arthur's Theme (Best that You Can Do)--Christopher Cross
10 Start Me Up--Rolling Stones

Singles entering the chart were Action Man by the Village People (#18); and Abacab by Genesis (#19).

Football
NCAA
Blue-Gray Game @ Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, Alabama
Blue 21 Gray 9

30 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Black or White-- Michael Jackson (6th week at #1)

Died on this date
Wilbur Snyder, 62. U.S. football player and wrestler. Mr. Snyder was a tackle and kicker who joined the Edmonton Eskimos of the Western Interprovincial Football Union during the 1952 season. He scored just 3 points in the regular season, but scored 29 points in 5 playoff games; with the Eskimos facing elimination in the best-of-three WIFU finals, Mr. Snyder scored 13 points on a touchdown, 2 converts, and 2 field goals to help the Eskimos to an 18-12 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, and added 7 points in a 22-11 win in the third game as the Eskimos advanced to the Grey Cup. Mr. Snyder kicked a convert for the Eskimos in their 22-11 loss to the Toronto Argonauts in the 1952 Grey Cup, and began wrestling professionally in the off-season in western Canada. Mr. Snyder scored 51 points in the 1953 regular season and 15 points in 3 playoff games as the Eskimos lost the WIFU finals to the Blue Bombers. He retired from football to wrestle full-time, holding various regional championship belts in National Wrestling Alliance territories until his retirement in 1984. Mr. Snyder was often referred to as "The World's Most Scientific Wrestler," and was particularly known for pioneering the abdominal stretch.

Diplomacy
Canada recognized the independent statehood of 11 member republics of the former U.S.S.R.; Canada had recognized Ukraine on December 2.

Politics and government
As the U.S.S.R. was dissolving, Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev announced his resignation.

Football
NCAA
Blue-Gray Game @ Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, Alabama
Gray 20 Blue 12

25 years ago
1996

Died on this date
Bill Hewitt, 68. Canadian sportscaster. Mr. Hewitt, the son of legendary hockey broadcaster Foster Hewitt, began working with his father on Hockey Night in Canada broadcasts in the mid-1950s, and eventually succeeded Foster Hewitt as the television voice of the Toronto Maple Leafs, retiring in 1981. Bill Hewitt died of heart failure 17 days after his 68th birthday.

Football
NCAA
Blue-Gray Game @ Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, Alabama
Blue 44 Gray 34

20 years ago
2001

Baseball
Outfielder Hideki Matsui became the highest-paid player in Japanese baseball when he signed a contract with the Yomiuri Giants for the equivalent of U.S.$4.7 million.

Football
NCAA
Blue-Gray Game @ Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, Alabama
Blue 28 Gray 10